Published 4:00 pm, Monday, March 17, 2014

NORWALK -- Mayor Harry W. Rilling has put forward Emmet Hibson, a labor attorney and until recently director of human resources for the city of Stamford, for the position of director of personnel and labor relations in Norwalk.

"Out of the people we interviewed, he had the greatest amount of experience and education and he had the kind of personality I feel will fit in well with the city of Norwalk," Rilling said.

On Wednesday evening, members of the Common Council's Personnel Committee will consider Hibson for the job under an agenda item titled "Discussion to confirm the Mayor's recommendation of the person to fill the vacancy of Director of Personnel and Labor Relations."

The position's responsibilities include negotiating and administering collective bargaining agreements, representing the city in grievance and arbitration hearings, and administering the city's pension program, employee benefits, and workers' and unemployment compensation programs, according to the job posting.

The salary range is $111,953 to $153,199, according to the posting.

Hibson could not be reached immediately for comment Monday afternoon.

A copy of his resume has been included in committee members' packets for Wednesday evening.

Hibson, a New Haven resident, has more than 20 years of professional work experience "with eleven yeas of progressively responsible legal/human resources/finance work," according to the summary portion of his resume.

From 2010 until February 2014, he worked as director of human resources for the city of Stamford, where he was responsible for, among other things, recruiting and hiring all non-elected city employees, and negotiating contracts with the city's collective-bargaining units, according to his resume.

From 2008 until 2010, Hibson was director of organizational development (labor relations and human resources) for the city of New Haven; from 2004 until 2008, he was director of labor relations for the city, according to his resume.

From 2003 until 2004, he was assistant general counsel for the Connecticut Board of Labor Relations in Wethersfield.

Hibson's last day working for the city of Stamford was Feb. 14, 2014. He was appointed under Republican Mayor Michael Pavia in 2010 and left following the city's 2013 mayoral election in which Democrat David Martin defeated Republican Michael Fedele and unaffiliated candidates Kathleen Murphy and John Zito.

"Mayor (Martin) was looking for a change in the direction of the Human Resources Department and chose not to re-appoint Mr. Hibson," said Thomas Dec, spokesman for Martin's office. "The mayor has not yet appointed a permanent replacement."

As Stamford's director of human resources, Hibson's salary last year was $144,694, according to the city's 2013 earnings report.

Hibson was one of 66 persons who submitted resumes for the Norwalk position.

A panel comprising two labor attorneys and Marie Metz, Norwalk's personnel director under Mayor Bill Collins, screened the resumes and interviewed seven of the applicants. Five of the seven applicants interviewed were then recommended to Rilling for consideration, according to Donna I. King, city clerk.

The position has been vacant since the end of last year.

H. James Haselkamp, Jr., held the position from July 2006 until December 2013 when Rilling, who was elected last November, chose not to put him forward for reappointment.

As a candidate, Rilling took issue with the former administration's treatment of unionized city employees.